Customer Reviews

Live [Vinyl]

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been searching for this album for years on CD and now it appears my search is thankfully over. Donny's influence on me was just as profound, if not more so, as Aretha's. Mr. Hathaway was a force to be reckoned with. These wondrous performances rival the other live album "In Performance!" Donny was the consumate muscian influencing countless singers and instrumentalists. It is even rather painful sometimes hearing his daughter, wonderful in her own right, who has many of his flourishes as the timbres of their voices are remarkably close. In any event, this is a must for any music collection. His opening cover of "What's Goin On" was an immediate smash in the day and many bands copied this particular session, myself included. But get it, sit back, and this will undoubltedly prompt you to try and get everything this man did, most notably any live performances because this is where Donny always shines. Awesome piano work. Flawless vocals. Tight band. Simply excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of the all-time classics of soul jazz. Originally released on the Atlantic label in 1972, it is a live performance of an absolutely amazing band playing their hearts out to a very appreciative and vocal audience in what looks like a club setting. I would love to have been there. The band is Donny Hathaway on vocals and piano, Mike Howard on rythym and lead guitar, Cornell Dupree on the other lead guitar, Willie Weeks on the bass, and a conga player who I think is named Earl DeRoy and a drummer whose name I have forgotten and is uncredited. This is too bad because whoever was part of this project deserves to be remembered.
Donny's vocal style is classic with changes in intonation and timbre as richly textured as Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles. He tells you part of the story of the lyrics by how he sings a phrase. This guy seems a natural wonder but his skill was probably the result of a lot of work. One of the other reviewers compares his piano playing to Les McCann: maybe a little less harmonically advanced yet technically as good and perhaps even more soulful.
Cornel Dupree was one of the great sidemen of the period and later starred in Stuff which he co-led with Eric Gale. He shines on this album with solos on We're Still Friends and Voices Inside (Everything is Everything). He has a classic Fender tone- sharp, piercing and bluesy. You can hear Albert Collins in his playing and the whole history of Texas guitar. You will notice that other reviewers mention how much Stevie Ray loved this album and band. Cornell is part of the reason why.
Willie Weeks the base player is solid thoroughout. He is outstandingly funky on Voices Inside (Everything is Everything).
Listen to the album sometime just focusing on his bass for a great lesson in the art of the groove. Heck, listen to this album sometime focusing on any of these guys for a lesson in how to play that instrument beautifully within a group context. Each of these guys knows how to make the others sound even better and they all blend into a beautiful overall group sound.
And then there is the audience. When Donny sings You've Got A Friend the audience takes up the chorus without even being asked and keeps it up throughout. Donny goes with it and basically sings around and with the audience. Very very cool. Very professional.
I have owned several thousands CDs, tapes or albums in my time. There are probably less than a hundred that I think of as being iconic, unique, and near perfect. That I would change in no way whatsoever. This is one of the few. This is a sweet and honest presentation of one man's (very large) musical soul being expressed with the help of a band of professionals whose musical skill is the effort of a lifetime in front of an audience who is very hip to what they are hearing. A stone cold soul classic.

I first heard this album in the summer of 1972 at my girlfriend's house. "Jealous Guy" was the first track I heard, and I asked my lady who the singer was. She told me it was someone named Donny Hathaway. So, I immediately went out and bought the record. Thus began my nearly 30-year love affair for this album.

"Donny Hathaway Live" is a joyous, but bittersweet effort. Only the classic Donny Hathaway/Roberta Flack duet album compares to the monumental achievements of "DH Live." None of Hathaway's other recorded efforts, including his 2nd live album, "In Performance," were ever able to effectively showcase his musical talents and exquisite vocals. This makes "DH Live" a gem of enormous importance in light of the new wave of '70s "old school" music currently being made by the likes of D'Angelo and Maxwell. In fact, D'Angelo's funky, but flawed "Live At The Jazz Cafe In London, 1996" sounds like a tribute to the stirring principles laid down on "DH Live."

Hathaway's album begins with a fresh interpretation of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin'On"--a bold move when you consider that Gaye's masterwork album of the same name was simultaneously on the charts and redefining the boundaries of soul at the time of Hathaway's release. Part of Hathaway's genius was his ability to successfully transform Gaye's insightful street testament into a jazzy soul sermon--a fact borne out by the reaction of the audience.

And, that's another great thing about "DH Live." The call and response between the artist and the audience is mixed right up front with the music--as if you're actually sitting in the club hearing this music for the first time. (A far cry from today's "live" recordings with muted crowd response and post-concert studio "sweetenings.") The result is an emotional experience that approaches the ferver of a church revival, as on Hathaway's take on Carol King's "You've Got A Friend."

Surprisingly, Hathaway is not the only star on this album. Hathaway describes him on this cd as "the baddest bass player in the county--Willie Weeks!" And "badd" he is. Weeks, who would go on to work with several legendary bands (including the Doobie Bros.) and artists during the '70s unleashes a funky bass solo for all time on "Everything Is Everything." Just when you think it couldn't possibly get any funkier! His top-to-bottom bass playing literally "sings" on each track.

You must remember that James Brown was still the King of Soul with Aretha as his Queen,in 1972. Motown was still at its peak. But, with "DH Live," a new, sophisticated, soul sound was emerging. It would take root throughout the '70s--inspite of the later onslaught of disco.

And then, there's Donny's voice--soulful beyond description, and with a smooth, grace-of-style untraceable to any soul artist before him. Hathaway proves himself to be a true vocal original in the soul/gospel vein.

It is unfortunate that most people who know of Donny Hathaway only know him as Roberta Flack's duet partner on a few hits. He never became a star in his own rite with the pop crowd. And, with his sad and controversial death in 1979, "DH Live" became an obscure title that was even out-of-print for a while.

Perhaps the time is now for a reconsideration of Hathaway's work, and particularly this album. Listen to "Donny Hathaway Live" again and again and again as I have over the past few decades. Soul, R & B, Funk, Jazz--call it what you want. It doesn't get any better than this. It's the definitive Donny Hathaway album--and, it's one of the greatest live dates ever recorded.

Donny Hathaway covered more ground in a few years than hundreds of lesser artists do in a lifetime of recording and performing. On this live set, he is in full control of Everything- that incomparable voice heavy like honey, the funkiest keyboard work this side of Les McCann, a seriously righteous band, including bassist Willie Weeks, the material -even the audience! "The Ghetto" is the pinnacle of this album recorded at two different nightclubs, one in New York and one in LA - Donny comes fully alive as he transforms the audience into his back-up singers, making church, and leaving us the better for it. This is Donny's finest recorded effort. "Extension of a Man", while it contains the classic "Someday We'll All Be Free", finds him somewhat remote, no doubt a result of the increasingly virulent heroin habit that finally contributed to the despair culminating in his suicide; here he is an extraordinary Minister of Funk, and he's live, obviously the best way to experience his art. I saw him perform on three separate occasions, and it was easy to tell that he loved performing live - the performances were unforgettable. Donny Hathaway's huge musical and spiritual influence still runs like a river through music being made today- I hear the echo of his presence in artists as diverse as the brilliant Me'Shell Ndegeocello and the re-vitalised Santana. True funk will never die; this remarkable album will always keep the faith.

This is quite simply one of the best albums ever recorded, live or in the studio. Donny Hathaway has been gone for a while, but his wonderful voice still resonates clearly on this classic disk.

Would you believe that I still have the original 33-rpm album? The only reason I don't continue play it is that it is so worn, it might just fall apart!

I was still in high school in the early 1970's when I first bought the album. I have been in love with it every since. I still remember the lyrics to most of the songs! Even today, few singers approach the artistry of his voice.

My favorites include, "What's Goin' On", which, I believe is better than the original Marvin Gaye version. "Jealous Guy", never sounded so good. Even the stoic John Lennon (the composer) grooved to this one. "In the Ghetto" has been picked up by several hip hop artists recently and "You Got A Friend" is a hopeful theme for all times.

As a former bass player with a variety of Jimi Hendrix-type, Black Sabbath-type and Chicago-type bands (yes, my music tastes are quite different!!)I really got off on the bass solo by Willie Weeks "the baddest bass player in the country," on "Everything is Everything".

I was so happy to see that classic recording this has been issued on CD, that I had to write. If you want to hear some timeless music that is never stale, buy this CD. You won't be able to stop listening.

Look out! I wonder how long it will take to wear out a CD???

Don Payne

After a few smooth and tantalizing introductory bars to set the stage, Hathaway lets the sound decay, and you can hear a female voice way back in the audience say with absolute certainty, "All right, this is it." She is so absolutely correct. The baseline gets it moving and bam, you are into 12:18 of "The Ghetto," as thoroughly satisfying a soul/funk jam as you will ever find anywhere, complete with enthusiastic audience participation. If you can sit still through this, you might want to try breathing against a mirror and checking for condensation to make sure you're still alive.

Donnie Hathaway - Live - is one of those really rare in-person performance CDs where everything comes together, you don't just get the music, you get the sweat, the movement, the cachunk, the entire spectrum of emotion. Hathaway was not a virtuoso singer, but it would be hard to find another performer able to deliver more raw sincerity. His electric piano playing is really stellar here, especially on Hey Girl, where he weaves a hypnotic trance. Without exception, the band is loose and relaxed, completely aligned with each other and Hathaway's objectives.

The odd thing about this CD is that, despite his primary renown as a songwriter, only two of the tracks are his. However, like other true originals, he is able to take covers and bend them to his will. Hathaway takes Marvin Gaye's warhorse, What's Going On, and breathes new life into it, his rendition of John Lennon's beautiful Jealous Guy is equally compelling. It is astounding to realize that Hathaway was only 33 when he died, today he is more influential than ever. Hearing him sing "This Christmas" is one of the few compensations of being stuck roaming a mall in December.

Hathaway was, and is, the real thing. While his celebrated duets with Roberta Flack are sweet, polished, and reliably popular, if you want to experience the raw talent and heart that make him undeniably great, "This is it."

Donny Hathaway is my all-time favorite singer. Hands down. Of all the would-be poets and soul singers that emerged in the '70s, none of them that I've listened to seem to sing with as much heart and soul as Donny, and that should be all I need to say. However, as incredible and masterful as all his studio albums are, there's just nothing like hearing him play live, as well as hearing an audience that is obviously just as moved, shaken and overjoyed about seeing him play as you are about hearing him. Caught partly at the Troubadour in Hollywood and partly at the Bitter End in New York, this recording is one of the greatest moments in music history. With Donny singing his heart out, playing the hell outta his piano and organ, and an incredible backing band that included bassist Willie Weeks, it was bound to be somethin' special, but if you could jus' hear the crowd's ecstatic reaction, oh, MAN! Donny had a small, but loyal fanbase, but the adoration they had for him was monumental. Donny opens his set with his own interpretation of Marvin Gaye's 'What's Goin' On', reciting the words as if he were preaching a sermon to a churchful of worshippers. Marvin's jazzy laid-back testament of hope and love has always been meaningful, but it takes on a new vibe of spirited gut-bucket SOUL when Donny sings it. He follows that up with an extended version of his R&B hit 'The Ghetto', stretchin' it out for over twelve minutes. Donny and the band lay on the funk thick, making his famed instrumental, which was a lament for the inner-city, a dark, dank, moody, but ultimately celebratory anthem. The BEST part is in the last refrain when he gets the ladies an' gents to sing the hook, an' EVERY SINGLE person in the audience seems to be singin' in unision. I mean, fa'real, he brought the house down with this number right here. You won't understand 'till you hear it, and feel the goosebumps it gives you. With the audience as hype as ever, on their feet, ready for more, Donny follows up his crowd-pleaser with 'Hey Girl', a nice, simple love song, taken at a steady pace, jus' to keep things moving. Then he calms things down even more, moving into Carole King's popular 'You've Got a Friend', which he originally recorded as a duet with Roberta Flack. Once again, the audience sings along with the hook as Donny gives it the definitive soul treatment. It gets no better. After that number which was another big crowd-pleaser, he downtroddens the mood by taking on the popular standard 'Little Ghetto Boy'. He sings the sad and dour words with the passion and urgency that the song calls for, speaking directly to the ghettos and borroughs across the nation, and hoping, if anything, to make a difference. Next, he keeps the tempo downbeat, with the bluesy and remorseful 'We're Still Friends', then gives a brief and lively interpretation of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy'. He ends the set with another extended funk istrumental 'Voices Inside (Everything is Everything)', letting his backing band share the spotlight and keeping the groove goin' for over thirteen minutes. It's somethin' else, fa'real.

What makes this just as good, if not better, than his studio albums is that aside from hearing the awesome power in his voice, you can hear what an amazing, and I mean AMAZING instrumentalist he was, somethin' you only see flashes of on his albums. Hearing his improvisations on those instrumentals, particularly on 'The Ghetto' where he's jus' GOIN' OFF on that organ jus' made me gape in awe. I slept on this for a long time, even as a Donny Hathaway fan, but I gotta say if you have not yet picked this up, DON'T WAIT another minute. This is one of the baddest and best soul albums out there, and the bar-none BEST live album of ALL TIME, in my opinion. 'Nuff said? Oh, I think so.

Donny Hathaway "Live" was a life changing recording for a lot of us 40 something still working musicians. I give a copy to every young serious bassist I meet. Willie Weeks is awsome and was probably only about 20 years old when he recorded this. The drummer, Fred White, went on to Earth Wind and Fire. Fort Worth's Cornell Dupress was a corner stone member of the 70's New York all star band "Stuff." Willie Weeks is alive and well in Nashville, TN. He is Wynona Judd's bassist and musical director. He has played on all of her solo recordings and has toured with her during her solo career. A great story about "Willie Weeks," is he moved to Nashville from L.A., went out and bought about 100 records and studied them in detail and then made the rounds and is now one of the most indemand players in Nashville. Totally Cool! If you want to check out another great bassist in addition to James Jamerson and Chuck Rainey, you have to have Donny Hathawy "Live."

My initial experiences with Donny Hathaway were in college in the early 70's. I liked his studio efforts, but I didn't get into them. They weren't really dance tunes, but songs with a social message coupled with a unique vocal styling. I got a much greater appreciation for him one night in the dorm room with my buddies. We pulled out our drums and congas and played along with the "Everything" album. And I GOT IT!! We played to "The Ghetto" and I GOT IT!!

So when the "Donny - Live" album came out, it was a must-have. It was on the same level as Isaac Hayes "Shaft" album or Stevie's "Talking Book" or Graham Central Station's "Release Yourself" and the original "Spinners" album or the O'Jays "Backstabbers" album . . . . albums we listened to all through our college experience.

With excellent musicians, especially the incomparable Willie Weeks on bass, and that Rhodes sounding off like only it can, this album is a bonafide classic. For music afficionados, it is still a must-have item. Each song flows, despite taping in two separate venues. The crowd differences are evident between "What's Goin' On" and "Little Ghetto Boy", but no where else. But that doesn't detract from the ability of Donny to be able to divert so much positive energy into each song. It's sad to listen to considering that he's no longer with us, while at the same moment, whatever drove him to his unfortunate suicide (the depression and despair) is not evident in this performance. It is pure joy that comes through from beginning to end.

I only saw him perform on TV on a few occasions, but it was evident that he loved to perform and share his gift to the world. If you don't have another Donny album, get this one. It will show off the true genius in his favorite medium.

Not everyone can top Marvin Gaye, but Mr. Hathaway manages to do just that on the opening track of "Live"! His funky, jazzy, swingin' rendition (complete with a TOUGH electric piano solo) of "What's Going On" is a revelation. This entire LP is deserving of classic status, every note played, sung and heard is simply joyous! Just listen to the way the audience sings the first chorus of "You've Got A Friend" and you'll get goosebumps! Listen to Donny TALK in between songs and introduce his band members, you'll feel like you're there! Special Musical Note: Bassist Willie Weeks who was only about 20 or 21 at the time of this recording is in GREAT form and virtually schools the listener in the fine art of bass playing! This young man truly connects with his instrument and makes every track swing. "Donny Hathaway Live" is a must-have for any true music lover and yet another reminder of the gift we lost when Donny left us. "The Ghetto", "(Voices Inside) Everything Is Everything" and "Jealous Guy" are standouts on an LP packed with gems. Buy This, you'll be glad you did!